Drip tray guide wire and stop arrangement



Jan. 8, 1952 w. R. JEWELL DRIP TRAY GUIDE WIRE AND STOP ARRANGEMENTFiled July '7, 1949 His Attorney.

Inventor- WiI Ham R. Jewell,

Patented Jan. 8, 1952 :J..DBIB:TRAYGIJIDE w'mrmmiis'rorz ARRANGEMENT x'WilliamaR: :JewellfiEx-ie Pazsassignoi-rto General? Electrio' Gnmpany acornoratiomofi-New York;

-- ApplicationJuly-Z1949;Seria31NmT03AM:

inventioir=-re1ates=to="refrigerator r cabinets and in particular te"=d'ripa trays for evaporators thereof:

Householdrefrigerators of the -present:- day usually"eontainv an:evaporating unit-that withdraws heat from the-refrigerator cabinet.*In.'1the course-for time;;frost accumulates :on=ithe::evaporatingunit'," rcutting "down' the heat transier rate'from'. the:ain"withim thecabinettoatheevaporator. -'Due :to'rthe:accumulation of i irosti-itis.necessary: periodically-ate defrost'rthe evaporator unit. itOTk81lFthevrefrigerator operatingefiectively. ;.A' -'drip trayeis usuallypIaced;=-beneath an2revaporator: zunitrxtoa coilectiuany 1 water ithatmightzdriptherefromrand; tintpa-rtieular; 1130- catch all 'the" waterthat zdrips therefrom: duping: aidefrostmeriod.

investigation; has shown :that sthelzrefrigerator user willvsonietimeswmsert; a drip: tray atian anglmrcausing tither-rean edgesthereofztoiextend askewr o f'zthe axis; ofrflthezevaporatomunitsoiithatsomezpof::theidefrest water: dpippingn fromzitheevapomtorz'isxnotzeaught zbyarthertrayzIt:iszazr:object;.offrthiseinyentiomtmzpmvixieizan arrangement r101:eproperhuloeating: atidrip tray beneath cansevaporatomunit.

zItsiis aaiurtherrnbject:ofithisinvention: Win29,- videgzin; edditioneto.za'n;: axial locatingr:devicema convenient story that. aids; in:zproperlx; position-v an evanoretorrj unit;

ing: thee-drip $13367abeneath It: isv a 7 still qfurtheryobjectgzefmist-invention tonpnovide apparatus for, releasably retainin {a driptrayqebeneath; 1am aeuapora tori :u-nit; a; efrigeratorgeabinet.

, Considered. broadly, a thisinvention, 1 oompnises a device J01neleasablxnpositioningt. a dripetray vbeneath an evaporatoraunit inanrzefri erator, assurin proper positioning ,of;v the drip; tra neaththeevaporatorewhereby .alL, the; mate drips fromgtheevaporatormunitismeaught ifiiuhfl Referring:to therdrawingfig. 1isa-front view of the upper interior portionjof; a refrigerator cabinet"showing-the location "ofthefdu my therein "and"Ffig-i; 2'*=is-"an-"enlarged perspective view-' 'of the-evaporator ofthe refrigeratorwithya drip tray positioned thereunder;

iaGlaimsxf (clean-1+3) i 2, -Referrhig "to-Fig. 1; a;- refrigeratoreabinet l isprovided" with a storage-space zqin the uppeiportionof-which there is located anevaporator unit- 3*havingaF'dr-iptra'y d thereund'er.

I?he:evaporator-unit 3 (as'"sh0wn in"5Fig% Zil is" ofaconventionaldesignhaving a p'aino'f verti'al side waqls 5; a bottom 6 and a frozenfoodstorage space T.

A- p-airof guide rails 8a; =8b are positioned be km: theevaporator unitto support the-' 'drip tray 4'. The guide -rai1s'-8a, "8b-may' besecured to adjoining shelves onto-"vertical walls 'of the i stor-'- "agecabineti depending upon 'thelocation- 0f theevaiJorator-unit. Inthe-arrangement shown; one of the guide-rails fl'a-is' secured to anadjoining shelf 9 in a conventional-*mannenthei'sheIf 'ahd'igui'de-railbeing supported-at thefro'nt ed'ge by a bracket 1'0 which 'joins aeorner-= 9w" ofthe shelf 'S and the wall- 5 .of 'the' evaporatoru'nitlThe other 'raii'ab'is secured to the inner wan- I of the refrigeratorabinetby* anwsuitablemeans; rwwriile 1guid'e- -rails 8a, 8b ade'qu'atelyu port the-drip tray 4;" a oertain "degrees of 'oareand attention isnecessary in'" o'rderproperly to pd sition thef'drip tray 4=beneath the-evaporator unit-'3. 'I-t" has--been"found, however;-' that hy addinga-gui'de -braeket' ljl' to-each guide raif and using in: combinationwith this ;=-'braeket a properly construeted drip tray 7 4. the correct"it: cation-of the'-d1' '-ip-=tray is meohahioa'llyassured; I-hebraekets n each comprise a Si-ngIe pieCE longitudinally disposed-herizontar portion 5; a

' rearwardly declined-- portion-16} a seoond 'trans- "of e flange 225Mguide raiI-Baandthe'portio 4, The axially disposed horizontal; portion!'f verse-horizonta1 per-eon 1 T eed a vertica l por eon la;

The vertial portionl as long' enough to -pro vide' a securing section-I'-3a 'wherebybn end hf the bracket 2 is' secured to the rail- 8a "inan? suitable mannen as by welding. 'The't'ransverse horizontal portion"14 extends from the top of vertical member le} toward" thevertioa1-axia1 plane 'of the evaporator *unitwdistance great enough-=toallow -the side I 9 of 'dripgtray [to be received thereunder. The bottomv of -the- ,'horim e rfie l' fi ip one b v is dei'i o guide rail; 'Ba bya; distanoe' slightly less than ithe vertical depth gf-end' wall 2|ofjdrip' lfayi lJilfh'e drip-tray 4 'is' thus positioned 'betweenthe'top braoket 12 isat right angles to' the planeformed clined portion 16to vertical member I3. The

latter member is parallel to vertical member 13 and includes a portionI811 for securing it to the guide rail 8a as by welding. The combinationof rearwardly declined portion l6, horizontal portion l1 and verticalportion l8 provides a wide-mouthed entrance to the guidebracket whichfacilitates locating the side 19 of drip tray 4 between the verticalmembers l3, M ami the horizontal portion l5 of the guide bracket.

3 Thedrip; tray 4, which may be made-of. any suitable-material, hasparallel sides I9, l9a each provided with a centrally located elevatedportion 23. The portions 23 slide along the inner edge 24 of eachaxially disposed horizontal portion l5 of the guide brackets and areguided ,thereby.- The horizontal portion l5 of guide bracket l2cooperates with vertical sides 20 of guide rails 8a, 81). Thus,horizontal portion and vertical side of guide rails 8a, 8b limittransverse motion of drip tray 4. The portions- 23 each are providedwith two shoulders 25, 26

which limit the extent of axial insertion of drip tray 4 into therefrigerator cabinet 2; the shoulders 25 or 26 engaging the horizontalportion l4 of support bracket l2 limit rearward motion of the drip tray..Since portion 23 is centrally located along the side l9, [9a, shoulders25, 26

assure that, no matter which end of the drip tray is inserted into therefrigerator cabinet, the tray is still properly positioned. v

In the operation of the subject apparatus,

assuming that the drip tray has been removed from the refrigeratorcabinet, either end of the tray-4 is rested on the flange portion 22 ofthe tance between the bottom of portion l5 and the vtop edge of verticalsides 20 ,of guide rail 8a is less than the height of the sides [9, [9aor ends 21, 2 la of the tray so that the tray cannot slide over the topsof sides 2!! of the guide rails and askew positioning of the tray isprevented. With continued axial movement of the drip tray towards therear of the refrigerator, shoulders 25 of elevated portions 23 slidebetween the horizontal portions l5 of the support brackets and sides 20,2llc of guide rails 8a, 8b; ultimately, shoulders 25 of portions 23strike the horizontal portion I4 of the guide bracket to prevent furtheraxial movement of the tray.

It isto be noted that no matter which end of the drip tray 4 is firstinsertedinto the refrigerator-cabinet, the action v of the guide bracketon the drip tray in combination with the support of guide rails 8a and8b is the same, assuring that there is always proper alignment of thedrip tray the evaporator unit within the refrigerator 4 storage space.With the drip tray located in this manner, the catching of all waterfrom the evaporator unit is assured.

Modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in the artand it is desired to be understood, therefore, that this invention isnot to be limited to the particular arrangement disclosed, but that theappended claims are meant to cover all the modifications within-thespirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by ,Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

i 1. In a refrigerator cabinet having an evaporator therein, a drip trayhaving parallel sides each having a centrally located elevated portionand means for positioning and supporting said drip tray beneath saidevaporator comprising, a pair of guide rails positioned below saidevaporator, a guide bracket formed from a single piece of wire rigidlysecured to each of said guide rails, each of said guide bracketscomprising longitudinally spaced Vertical portions, the front one ofsaid vertical portions extending above said guide rail a greaterdistance than 'the'rear one, transverse horizontal portions extendingrespectively from each of said vertical portions, said horizontalportions being, parallel and of. substantially equal length andextending toward the corre-v sponding part of the other of said guidebrackets, a rearwardly declined portion connected to the front one ofsaid transverse horizontal portions, a longitudinally disposedhorizontal portion connecting said rearwardly declined portion to theother of said transverse horizontal portions, said front transversehorizontal portion and said front vertical portion and said rearwardlydeclined portion forming a wide-mouthed guide wire structuretofacilitate the inserting and positioning of, said drip tray in saidguide brackets.

2. In a refrigerator cabinet having an evaporator therein, a drip trayhaving parallel sides each having a centrally located elevated portionand means for positioning and axially guidingsaid drip tray beneath saidevaporator comprising, a pair of guide rails having side memberspositioned below said evaporator, a guide bracket formed from a singlepiece of wire rigidly secured to each of said guide rails, each of saidguide brackets comprising longitudinally spaced Ver tical portions, thefront one of said vertical por tions extending above said guide rail agreater distance than the rear one, transverse horizontal portionsextending respectively from eachbf said vertical portions, saidhorizontal-portions being parallel and of equal length and extendingtoward the coresponding part of the other of said 3. In a refrigeratorcabinet having'an evaporator therein, a drip tray having parallel sideseachhaving a centrally located elevated portion and means forpositioning and limiting theaxial insertion of said drip tray beneathsaid evaporator comprising, a, pair of guide rails positioned belowjsaidevaporator, a guide bracket formed from a single piece of wire rigidlysecured to each of said guide rails, each of said guide bracketscomprising longitudinally spaced vertical portions, the front one ofsaid vertical portions extending above said guide rail a greaterdistance than the rear one, transverse horizontal portions extendingrespectively from each of said vertical portions, said horizontalportions being parallel and of equal length and extending toward thecorresponding part of the other of said guide brackets, a. rearwardlydeclined portion connected to the'front one of said transversehorizontal portions, a longitudinally disposed horizontal portionconnecting said declined portion to the other of said transversehorizontal portions, all of said portions cooperating to form a guideand positioning arrangement to facilitate the inserting and positioningof said drip tray in said guide brackets and said rear horizontalportions of said guide brackets cooperating with said elevated portionson said drip tray to limit the axial insertion of said drip tray intosaid refrigerator cabinet.

4. In a refrigerator cabinet having an evaporator therein, a drip trayhaving parallel sides each having a centrally located elevated portionand means for positioning and axially guiding said drip tray beneathsaid evaporator comprising, a pair of guide rails having side memberspositioned below-said evaporator, a guide bracket formed from a singlepiece of wire rigidly secured to each of said guide rails, each of saidguide brackets comprising longitudinally spaced vertical portions, thefront one of said vertical portions extending above said guide rail; agreater distance than the rear one, transverse horizontal portionsextending respectively from each of said vertical portions, saidhorizontal portions being parallel and of equal length and extendingtoward the coresponding part of the other of said guide brackets, arearwardly declined portion connected to the front one of saidtransverse horizontal portions, a longitudinally disposed horizontalportion connecting said declined portion to the rear transversehorizontal portion, said rear transverse portion and said declinedportion being so formed as to position said longitudinally disposedhorizontal portion above the supporting portion of said guide rails adistance less than the height of said drip' tray including thecorresponding elevated 1 portion WILLIAM R. JEWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,798,875 Geimer Mar. 31, 19312,298,052 Harbison Oct. 6, 1942

